The present technology relates generally to Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting components, lamps, and luminaries which can be used as light sources in various lighting applications. Some of the significant advantages to LED's over conventional lighting elements are their significantly lower power consumption, the absence of harmful chemicals, their durability in resisting shock and vibration and their lifetime. Industrial commercial and consumer applications utilize LEDs of different power levels in various applications having different levels of technical challenges and limitations. Higher power LEDs, applied either singly or in clusters, (i.e., those greater than about 10 W) are used mainly in applications where high level of lumen output is required from constrained size. Typical applications are filament bulb replacements for power levels of 40 W and up, spot lights, track lights etc. Medium power LEDs are used on applications for example where different light guides are used for producing even light output on large surfaces.
High lumen LED assemblies are assembled on a metal core printed circuit board (MCPCB), or on aluminum substrate, which is connected to a ceramic, plastic or aluminum heat sink. Ceramic heat sinks make it possible to use different thick film methods to manufacture the interconnections directly on top of the heat sink. Plastic heat sinks are used mainly with MCPCBs for relatively low power solutions. After the heat has been conducted through the thermal interfaces between the heat dissipating body and the PCB or MCPCB into its aluminum plate, further heat conduction is done from the bottom of the PCB, enhanced by different thermal interface materials and different fastening methods, e.g. screws.
In many LED lighting applications, several high power LEDs need to be placed in close configuration, such as flashlights, headlights and the like. The heat generating components, their power supplies, the PCBs, the thermal interface materials, the fixing structures and heat dissipating bodies, all together dictate the achievable performance level in the lighting application. The resulting structure of the high power LED is rigid and therefore limits it use and application. It is therefore desirable to have a flexible high power LED.